The cold, harsh wind breezed through the open window as I woke up in pain. Who opened the window in this cold winter? I don't remember how I fell sleep, so I went to the kitchen to fix myself a drink. Then as I notice the mess on my house, I realized what happened the night before. Two random soldiers just broke into our house, and I hid my sister in a closet. Two guys seized control of me, and I cried in pain. I screamed for my sister, told her to run away. I didn't want my young sister to get any of this.
'Where did my sister go?' I worried. I looked everywhere in the house, but found no trace of her. I went outside to find her. She was sitting right around the corner; I called out her name several times, but she didn't answer. I reached out for her, only to realize that it wasn't she. The surely looked like one, but she was wearing someone else's clothes. I asked her for her name, but she remained silent. Who is this girl, I wondered. The equivocal look in her eyes made me doubt if she understood me at all. Then the growling sound from her stomach broke the silence. I gave a friendly smile, and took her to my house. I gave her a fresh meal. She seemed satisfied.
After the meal I tried to talk to her, but noticed that she wasn't Chinese. She seem to read and write some chinese characters, and by that I learned that she came from Korea peninsula. She continued writing stuffs down on the paper. 'My name is Yun-Joo. I came from Seoul.' She wrote.
"How did you end up here? Where is your family?" I asked, but she gave me a dubious look again. She couldn't understand Chinese by ears. I wrote it on the same paper for her. She nodded as if she understood what I wrote. She began to write more Chinese characters.
'I was sold as a slave. My family is waiting for me in Korea. I need to find my way home as soon as possible.'
I gasped. From Korea? Are the Japanese using Koreans as comfort women too? She looked too young to be one. I knew how she feels right now, for I was once separated from my family too.
'You can stay here if you want.' I wrote without a hesitation. She gave me a warm smile. I trusted her that she would stay here so that I won't get too lonely without my sister. Even if my sister comes back, she would be happy that she got a new friend.
After the conversation, I told her to get some sleep, and let her sleep in my sister's room. I thought of my sister. Will she ever come back? Did she lose her way to home? What if the Japanese soldier finds her and take her as a slave? I stopped thinking about futile stuff and closed my eyes to sleep.
The next morning Yun-Joo was gone.
The cold, harsh wind breezed through the open window as I woke up in pain. Who opened the window in this cold winter? I don't remember how I fell sleep, so I went to the kitchen to fix myself a drink. Then as I notice the mess on my house, I realized what happened the night before. Two random soldiers just broke into our house, and I hid my sister in a closet. Two guys seized control of me, and I cried in pain. I screamed for my sister, told her to run away. I didn't want my young sister to get any of this.
'Where did my sister go?' I worried. I looked everywhere in the house, but found no trace of her. I went outside to find her. She was sitting right around the corner; I called out her name several times, but she didn't answer. I reached out for her, only to realize that it wasn't she. The surely looked like one, but she was wearing someone else's clothes. I asked her for her name, but she remained silent. Who is this girl, I wondered. The equivocal look in her eyes made me doubt if she understood me at all. Then the growling sound from her stomach broke the silence. I gave a friendly smile, and took her to my house. I gave her a fresh meal. She seemed satisfied.
After the meal I tried to talk to her, but noticed that she wasn't Chinese. She seem to read and write some chinese characters, and by that I learned that she came from Korea peninsula. She continued writing stuffs down on the paper. 'My name is Yun-Joo. I came from Seoul.' She wrote.
"How did you end up here? Where is your family?" I asked, but she gave me a dubious look again. She couldn't understand Chinese by ears. I wrote it on the same paper for her. She nodded as if she understood what I wrote. She began to write more Chinese characters.
'I was sold as a slave. My family is waiting for me in Korea. I need to find my way home as soon as possible.'
I gasped. From Korea? Are the Japanese using Koreans as comfort women too? She looked too young to be one. I knew how she feels right now, for I was once separated from my family too.
'You can stay here if you want.' I wrote without a hesitation. She gave me a warm smile. I trusted her that she would stay here so that I won't get too lonely without my sister. Even if my sister comes back, she would be happy that she got a new friend.
After the conversation, I told her to get some sleep, and let her sleep in my sister's room. I thought of my sister. Will she ever come back? Did she lose her way to home? What if the Japanese soldier finds her and take her as a slave? I stopped thinking about futile stuff and closed my eyes to sleep.
The next morning Yun-Joo was gone.